AMI Images: Can use or Not?

[alphadog]

Is there a way to tap into the world of Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) to either run them on PVE, or convert them to something that could run on PVE?

 

[tom]

Is there a way to tap into the world of Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) to either run them on PVE, or convert them to something that could run on PVE?

never tried, why do you want this?

 

[alphadog]

never tried, why do you want this?

Mainly:

• access to their AMI library: being a popular platform, they may have AMIs for which Proxmox currently has no counterpart
• portability: such that I can use a PVE environ for building/testing, then deploy to EC for actual running; or, suppliment my PVE with EC systems; or, temporarily shift functionality because of anticipated high use.

It'd be cool (in an "enterprise" way) to be able to build a corporate infrastructure that is a "private cloud" that can play nice in a variety of ways with larger clouds like Amazon's EC.

 

[tom]

Mainly:

• access to their AMI library: being a popular platform, they may have AMIs for which Proxmox currently has no counterpart
• portability: such that I can use a PVE environ for building/testing, then deploy to EC for actual running; or, suppliment my PVE with EC systems; or, temporarily shift functionality because of anticipated high use.

It'd be cool (in an "enterprise" way) to be able to build a corporate infrastructure that is a "private cloud" that can play nice in a variety of ways with larger clouds like Amazon's EC.

Maybe Amazon will support KVM in future, then this could work in theory.

 

[dietmar]

Is there a way to tap into the world of Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) to either run them on PVE, or convert them to something that could run on PVE?

Do you know where I can find any Dokumentation about that format? And where can I download those AMI images?

 

[alphadog]

Do you know where I can find any Dokumentation about that format? And where can I download those AMI images?

I wish. I have spent a little time (like a half-hour) today looking for docs on format. I thought maybe it could be scripted where you could convert KVM disk and conf into an AMI file, but it seems like Amazon keeps the image format somewhat close to the vest. Could be reversed, but if Amazon isn't willing to "open-source" the format, you can bet they will change it at the least reason...

From what little I've gleamed, Amazon uses a heavily modified Xen. They supply tools that allow you to AMI-ize a running machine, physical or virtual. But, there's nothing to easily come back from it.

Maybe use VMWare's free tool vmware-vdiskmanager followed by qemu-img convert? I'll have to investigate...

AMI listing is at:
http://developer.amazonwebservices.com/connect/kbcategory.jspa?categoryID=101

Docs:
http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSEC2/latest/DeveloperGuide/